Michigan-Ohio State and 58 more games: Absolutely everything to know about Rivalry Week

Technically, Rivalry Week began on Tuesday night with Ohio clinching the MAC East title.

But the action really gets rolling in College Station on Thursday night and won’t end until Saturday night in Hawaii. Here is everything you need to know about the coming long weekend, from the rivalries to the title games to the ... uh, less consequential contests.

Here’s a key (all times ET):

Spread: LSU -6.5
S&P+ Projection: LSU by 5.2

LSU’s loss to Florida all but clinched that the Tigers won’t be retaining interim head coach Ed Orgeron, and Texas A&M fans are once again unhappy with Kevin Sumlin amid another November of diminishing returns.

But more importantly, Leonard Fournette returns to the scene of the crime.

(Fournette’s doubtful with an ankle injury. But we at least have memories.)

Spread: UNC -11.5
S&P+ Projection: UNC by 8.7

UNC needs a win and a Virginia Tech loss to reach the ACC title game, but part of that will be determined by which NC State team shows up. The Wolfpack have been good (nearly beating Clemson and Florida State) and bad (losing to Louisville by 41, then losing to Boston College).

Spread: No line
S&P+ Projection: UH by 5.1

Might this be Tom Herman’s last game before he takes a bigger job? Regardless, we got a nice reminder of how much fun his Cougars can be in last week’s upset of Louisville. If the Cougars play hungover, Memphis could spring a sneak attack.

Spread: NIU -5
S&P+ Projection: NIU by 8.6

NIU isn’t going to win the MAC West for once, but the Huskies have rebounded since a dreadful start to the season. We’ll see if a win and a 5-3 MAC finish is enough to save Rod Carey from getting fired.

Spread: Arkansas -8
S&P+ Projection: Arkansas by 1.2

Ah, good, old-fashioned, manufactured hate.

If you’re looking for a reason to watch, it’s easy: Missouri gained 740 yards against Tennessee last week and lost by 26. Wrap your brain around that volatility, then realize Arkansas’ defense is probably worse than Tennessee’s.

Spread: BGSU -14
S&P+ Projection: BGSU by 14.0

Hey, it’s football. And there’s only a 20 percent chance of rain.

Spread: UW -6
S&P+ Projection: UW by 13.0

It’s a football unicorn: an Apple Cup that will decide a title! I don’t know, do you think Wazzu might be up for a shot to not only win the Pac-12 North but wreck the Huskies’ national title hopes?

Spread: BSU -9.5
S&P+ Projection: BSU by 11.3

BSU is still the highest-ranked Group of 5 team in the CFP rankings, but the Broncos need both a win and a Wyoming loss to New Mexico if they’re going to qualify for a major bowl bid.

Spread: UT -3
S&P+ Projection: TCU by 0.5

Charlie Strong’s fired, and he’s not. Texas has turned a messy “dead coach walking” situation into an impossibly messy one, and ... what happens if the Longhorns destroy the Horned Frogs?

Spread: Iowa -3
S&P+ Projection: Iowa by 0.7

To win the Big Ten West, Nebraska needs to pull an upset, then hope Minnesota pulls an even bigger one against Wisconsin. And this might be the worst time to play the Hawkeyes. Iowa followed up its Michigan upset with an easy win over Illinois.

Spread: No Line
S&P+ Projection: La. Tech by 12.4

Southern Miss needs a win to become bowl eligible, but good luck with that. Louisiana Tech is smoking hot. Over the last six games, the Bulldogs are averaging 558 yards per game, 8.5 yards per play (!), and an average win of 54-30.

Spread: WMU -9
S&P+ Projection: WMU by 5.2

WMU got to host ESPN College GameDay, remained undefeated, and stands as the most likely team to win the Group of 5’s major bowl bid. But that could all come crashing down if the Broncos don’t play well against a Toledo that has won six of seven and ranks a healthy 40th in S&P+.

Spread: BU -5.5
S&P+ Projection: BU by 11.2

This would have been a blast in September. Instead, Baylor has lost four in a row, and Texas Tech has lost six of seven, including a 56-point wrecking at the hands of Iowa State. But hey, there will still be points.

Spread: Tulsa -22.5
S&P+ Projection: Tulsa by 15.4

Is the Tommy Tuberville era about done in Cincinnati? It could be if the Bearcats can’t keep up with a hot, 8-3 Tulsa.

Spread: ASU -3
S&P+ Projection: ASU by 5.0

Arizona State has collapsed from 5-1 to 5-6, and Arizona has lost eight in a row, the last five by an average score of 48-14. But nobody’s going to have better weather?

Spread: OSU -6.5
S&P+ Projection: UM by 2.5

You don’t need me to tell you how big this is. The Wolverines’ offense has sprung some serious leaks over the last couple of games, but since S&P+ is a full-season measure, it still likes UM’s chances. We’ll see.

Spread: UGA -4
S&P+ Projection: GT by 0.5

This might be the most perfectly average game of Rivalry Week. Both are 7-4, neither is particularly good, and neither is particularly bad.

That said, both have looked darn good over the last couple of weeks. Keep an eye on this just in case it gets fun.

Spread: NU -15.5
S&P+ Projection: NU by 17.6

This won’t get fun. But Northwestern should lock up bowl eligibility, at least.

Spread: KSU -27
S&P+ Projection: KSU by 21.1

This isn’t Bill Snyder’s last home game, is it?

Spread: UL -26
S&P+ Projection: UL by 28.8

After two straight years of creeping to the cusp of bowl eligibility and collapsing, the Wildcats finally got over the hump, moving to 6-5 with a win over Austin Peay. And they could have a role to play in whether Lamar Jackson holds onto his lead in the Heisman race.

Spread: Indiana -20.5
S&P+ Projection: Indiana by 22.2

For the second straight year, Indiana has mastered the art of the competitive loss, throwing a scare into Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, and Michigan before gracefully stepping to the side and falling late. But the Hoosiers should still lock up a bowl bid as long as they show up and field 11 players at a time against Interim Purdue.

Spread: UM -13.5
S&P+ Projection: UM by 14.1

Maryland was 5-2 after a win over Michigan State and nearly knocked off Indiana in Bloomington. The Terrapins then lost to Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska by a combined 149-13.

And they’re still going to kill Rutgers.

Spread: USF -10
S&P+ Projection: USF by 10.2

You’re going to be watching Michigan-Ohio State, but this is going to be sneaky fun. And it might be Willie Taggart’s last home game before moving to a bigger job.

Spread: VT -18.5
S&P+ Projection: VT by 18.7

Assuming UNC beats NC State, Tech will be playing for the ACC Coastal title. And though there are new coaches, “Virginia Tech beats UVA” is generally a good assumption.

Spread: ASU -5.5
S&P+ Projection: ASU by 2.3

For two straight years, Arkansas State has stunk in September and surged in November. Blake Anderson’s Red Wolves could lock up the Sun Belt title with a win, but the Ragin’ Cajuns are hot. They won at Georgia Southern and mostly kept up with Georgia last week.

Spread: Pitt -24
S&P+ Projection: Pitt by 19.1

Pitt upset Clemson on the road, then returned home and destroyed Duke. The Panthers have won five of seven overall and stand at 7-4. A win here and a win in a bowl would give them nine wins for the first time since 2009.

Syracuse beat Virginia Tech a few weeks ago. The last three weeks (losses to Clemson, NC State, and FSU by a combined 134-34): less fun.

Spread: Wake -3
S&P+ Projection: Wake by 6.3

Wake Forest is bowl eligible! BC could be with a win! No, seriously! I looked it up! It’s true!

Spread: Bama -17.5
S&P+ Projection: Bama by 17.3

Alabama has clinched the SEC West and wouldn’t fall out of the CFP top four even with a loss. Gosh, how will the Crimson Tide ever get up for ... the Iron Bowl?

Spread: UW -14
S&P+ Projection: UW by 15.2

Minnesota has had a sneaky-good season under Tracy Claeys. The Gophers are 8-3 and have won 5-of-6. If not for a series of tight losses (29-26 to Penn State, 14-7 to Iowa, 24-17 to Nebraska), they could have been playing for a division title. Alas, they are relegated to a spoiler role. But what a spoiler they could be, knocking rival Wisconsin out of national title contention.

Spread: Miami -15.5
S&P+ Projection: Miami by 18.5

After losing four in a row, Miami has rebounded. The Hurricanes beat Pitt, Virginia, and NC State by a combined 112-55 and still have a chance to finish with nine wins in Mark Richt’s first season.

But never mind all that. Miami is playing Duke, which gives us a chance to watch this again (trigger warning, Duke fans):

Spread: PSU -12
S&P+ Projection: PSU by 18.1

Penn State needs only a win over Michigan State and an Ohio State win over Michigan to clinch an unlikely Big Ten East title. What a turnaround this has been for James Franklin’s Nittany Lions. But ...

... this feels anything but foregone, doesn’t it? Michigan State is a dreadfully disappointing 3-8, but still managed to throw massive scares into Michigan and Ohio State.

Spread: Ole Miss -7.5
S&P+ Projection: Ole Miss by 13.5

S&P+ doesn’t take “Ole Miss lost its QB and replaced him with a true freshman” into account, but this is the Egg Bowl. Numbers don’t matter in the Egg Bowl.

Spread: Navy -7
S&P+ Projection: Navy by 3.4

If Western Michigan loses to Toledo, Navy could be two wins from its first major bowl since the 1964 Cotton Bowl. It’s a shame the program fell apart after losing star quarterback Keenan Reynolds, huh?

Spread: USC -17
S&P+ Projection: USC by 12.2

True, USC is one of the hottest teams in the country, and Notre Dame is 4-7. That doesn’t suggest this one is worth watching. BUT ... Notre Dame only loses close games! All seven have come by a touchdown or less. So you should at least watch the fourth quarter to find out how the Irish get their heart broken this time.

Spread: WVU -7
S&P+ Projection: WVU by 6.5

66-10! Iowa State beat Texas Tech 66-10 last week! The Cyclones had showed more upside than their 3-8 record would suggest, but ... 66-10! How did this happen? I demand a documentary crew.

Spread: ODU -14
S&P+ Projection: ODU by 16.2

Yes, that’s right, ODU still has a shot at winning Conference USA.

Old Dominion needs Marshall to pull a huge upset of WKU for the Monarchs to reach the Conference USA title game; the Hilltoppers will almost certainly score a rematch with Louisiana Tech, but let’s acknowledge ODU has had one hell of a season. In their third full season in FBS, Bobby Wilder’s Monarchs are 8-3 with losses only to Appalachian State, NC State, and WKU, all away from home.

Spread: SJSU -3
S&P+ Projection: Fresno by 1.8

Pass.

Spread: Idaho -5.5
S&P+ Projection: Idaho by 1.6

Idaho is bowl eligible! South Alabama beat Mississippi State and San Diego State and could still get to six wins! I don’t know why I’m using exclamation points!

Spread: Troy -27
S&P+ Projection: Troy by 38.6

Troy’s loss to Arkansas State reeked of a “Hey look! We’re ranked!” hangover, but the Trojans should work out their frustration against what might be the worst team in FBS. They have a shot at 10 wins for the first time in their FBS history. Neal Brown has done one hell of a job in his two years.

Spread: ASU -17.5
S&P+ Projection: ASU by 22.9

Appalachian State’s only losses were to Tennessee, Miami, and Troy, and two were by an eyelash each. NMSU has been ... not quite as good.

Spread: Pick ‘Em
S&P+ Projection: Tulane by 4.0

Sure, this might be the least watchable game of the weekend. But you’re still guaranteed intensity in such a high-profile, long-running conference rivalry.

Spread: UO -3
S&P+ Projection: UO by 0.5

With a win, Oregon’s Mark Helfrich could save his job, especially with more high-profile gigs like Texas and LSU potentially being open.

With a loss, though?

Spread: UNLV -9.5
S&P+ Projection: UNLV by 14.1

UNLV has a legitimately fun offense, and Nevada’s defense makes any offense fun.

Spread: UNT -3
S&P+ Projection: UNT by 9.0

A 29-23 win over Southern Miss brought North Texas to 5-6; a win over a lifeless Miner team would make the Mean Green bowl eligible in Seth Littrell’s first season. Quite the improvement over 2015’s wretched 1-11.

Spread: MTSU -13.5
S&P+ Projection: MTSU by 14.5

An injury to quarterback Brent Stockstill put a damper on what was becoming a hell of a season for MTSU. But the Blue Raiders could still finish 8-4 with a win over an FAU that has shown some offensive spark.

Spread:
S&P+ Projection:

These Bayou Classic rivals are both 8-0 in SWAC play, and Grambling is up to No. 16 in the FCS top 25. Either will be a drastic favorite over Alcorn State in next week’s SWAC title game, but thanks to APR penalties, Southern would be ineligible to play in the Celebration Bowl. So if you’re hoping for a fantastic Celebration Bowl, root for the G-Men. GSU vs. NC Central would be all sorts of fun. Alcorn State-NCCU, not so much.

(Elsewhere in FCS, the playoffs start this weekend. Since that’s officially the postseason, it doesn’t exactly count as part of Rivalry Weekend.)

Spread: UCLA -3
S&P+ Projection: UCLA by 1.4

We knew this would be a rebuilding season for Cal. We didn’t see it coming for UCLA.

Spread: WKU -24
S&P+ Projection: WKU by 25.8

WKU played in two classics in October, losing 55-52 at Louisiana Tech and surviving MTSU, 44-43, in overtime. Since then, the Hilltoppers have been untouchable, winning their last four by an average of 51-14. All they need to do to clinch a C-USA title game rematch against Louisiana Tech is beat an athletic, unstable Marshall in Huntington. Easy ... right?

Spread: UTSA -9.5
S&P+ Projection: UTSA by 8.8

UTSA has been volatile itself, beating MTSU by 20, hanging with Texas A&M and Arizona State, and losing at home to an awful UTEP. But a home win over Charlotte would make the Roadrunners bowl eligible in their first year under Frank Wilson.

Spread: Temple -20.5
S&P+ Projection: Temple by 22.8

Since beating NC State in Week 2, ECU has gone 1-8. The Pirates still have a solid offense, but the defense has allowed 48 per game to Teams Not Named UConn since Week 4. Temple has been mostly fantastic since losing to Penn State. A Temple-Navy AAC title game would be a hell of a battle, and to clinch their bid, the Owls need to close out against a bad team.

Spread: UT -7.5
S&P+ Projection: UT by 10.9

Vanderbilt has taken a circuitous path to 5-6, with wins over Ole Miss, Georgia, and strong WKU and MTSU teams and losses to South Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri. Do the Commodores have one more upset in them? (Probably not, but keep tabs just in case.)

Spread: Clemson -24
S&P+ Projection: Clemson by 32.3

South Carolina has averaged a decent 28 points since installing freshman Jake Bentley at quarterback, and the Gamecocks’ defense has been bendy but decent. And goodness knows Clemson hasn’t brought its A game every week.

This is me talking myself into this being a game worth tracking. I’m not sure it’s working.

Spread: CU -10
S&P+ Projection: CU by 12.3

Biggest home game in Boulder since ... the 2001 Nebraska game? The only thing that could make me more excited about this is if the forecast included snow. It does not. But still.

Spread: Stanford -35.5
S&P+ Projection: Stanford by 23.3

I don’t know either.

Spread: FSU -7
S&P+ Projection: FSU by 6.0

The stakes are minimal, other than Florida potentially making a Sugar Bowl case, and the most noteworthy story might be LSU potentially coming after FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher. But there will still be a lot of world-class athletes, even if the quarterbacks combine to get sacked about 12 times.

Spread: SDSU -11.5
S&P+ Projection: SDSU by 5.2

After a 2-3 start, CSU will bowl again.

San Diego State has been mostly awesome but gave away a shot at a major bowl with a last-minute loss at Wyoming. (Laramie could wreck the dreams of both Boise State and SDSU.) Still, the Aztecs’ defense is worth watching, as are SDSU running back Donnel Pumphrey and CSU receiver Michael Gallup.

Spread: UW -3
S&P+ Projection: Wyoming by 7.3

New Mexico could still save Boise State, and that’s fine, but ... damn, do I wish this was in Laramie. Wrapping up Rivalry Week by watching Wyoming fans storming the field after a division title would be fun.

Spread: BYU -18.5
S&P+ Projection: BYU by 12.2

Regional football!

Spread: UH -7.5
S&P+ Projection: UH by 6.9

There are worse things in the world than wrapping up the weekend with Hawaii announcer Robert Kekaula.